Finding their feet
by Lucy-Cakes
Summary: Riker has a most unusual mission, and two young ladies arrive on the Enterprise to help him find his feet. Can he help them do the same when everything goes horribly wrong? Please review, more coming soon!
1. Chapter 1

Riker looked at his Captain incredulously.

"You want me to do _what?_" he asked.

"It's perfectly simple number one," Picard replied. "All you have to do is pass yourself off as a ballroom dancer for a few days to allow you access to a very important diplomat."

"I still don't think I'm getting this," Riker answered truthfully, pretty certain that either his ears weren't working properly or Picard needed relieving of duty on the grounds that he was insane. That must be it, all the stress had finally got to him. Riker's head began making plans to keep it quiet, the crew mustn't know that such a great man had lost his mind…

Picard sat back down behind his desk.

"What does ballroom dancing have to do with diplomacy?" Riker began again.

"Every year there's a ballroom competition on the planet Soria IV, and every year it is judged by the leader of the planet Infa II. Now, some weeks ago Starfleet received a message stating that the leader of Infa II wanted Federation assistance because something was going on that was out of their control. The trouble was, there was nothing in the message to tell us what the 'something' was and attempts to reply to them have been unsuccessful."

"Just how many attempts did they make?" Riker asked.

"Many," Picard answered simply. "No conventional methods have worked so we're trying unconventional."

"But sir," Riker started again. When was he going to get to the point of what he wanted to say? "Sir… I can't dance. Not that well."

"Nonsense, you know enough for this mission. Besides, we're bringing a specialist in, she'll be your dance partner and teach you everything you need to know."

"And what exactly is the mission?" Riker asked, resigning himself to the fact that he was going to have to do it.

"You need to make contact with the leader of Infa II, find out if there's a way we can talk to them and find out what's going on. You should have contact with the leader, Analise Kernan, when you get to stage two of the competition."

Riker spotted a flaw right there in this terribly-crafted plan.

"I have to get to round two?" he exclaimed. "Captain, can't Data go? He's very good at dancing!"

"Of course not number one, he'd be disqualified for being an android, and everyone would know he's Starfleet."

"I'm not exactly unknown myself."

"With a few adjustments no one will recognise you."

Riker shook his head, and decided not to even think about what these 'adjustments' might involve.

"How long do I have?" he asked.

"Well the Enterprise can't drop you off, for obvious reasons. We don't want to be seen anywhere near the planets, but we will be close, should we be needed. You'll have to take a shuttle to Soria IV, the specialist is bringing one with her, she should be here by tomorrow. Then you will have three days."

"Three days?"

"Plenty of time. I suggest you limber up adequately, we can't afford any accidents."

Riker looked at Picard like he was mad.

"Y…yes sir."

He left the ready-room, completely dumbfounded, and headed straight for the holodeck to replicate himself a partner. He couldn't afford to wait even until tomorrow. It was going to be a long three days.

X

Riker was waiting with Picard In the shuttle bay to welcome the specialist on board. The shuttle docked expertly and its door opened, revealing a petite woman who he put at about twenty-seven years old. They walked towards her.

"Miss Stokesley, welcome aboard the Enterprise," Picard said, extending his hand to her. She shook it firmly.

"Thank you Captain," she replied in a voice that was delicate at the moment, but Riker had a suspicion that she was a lot stronger than she looked.

"This is Commander Riker," he continued. She shook his hand too, trying to also get a measure of this man.

"We'd better get to it Commander, we don't have much time. Hopefully we'll have time for the pleasantries after we're home and dry."

"This way," he nodded, letting her exit before him and showing her down to the holodeck.

"So have you danced before?" she asked him.

"Not really. I tried with a holographic partner yesterday but…"

"They're not as patient, are they," she finished for him. "I hear this from a lot of people, they're just not good enough. Well we'll see what's what, we need a waltz and a Latin dance for the competition, so we'll do our best."

Riker stopped dead.

"Latin?" he exclaimed. The visitor looked at him.

"Yes Commander. I thought you had been briefed by the Captain…"

"Clearly he forgot to mention some aspects of this… performance."

Riker's head was swimming with images of him in fluorescent lycra, thrusting about…

"Look, Miss Stokesley," he began.

"My name is Jenni," she interrupted.

"Jenni… I can't dance, and I certainly can't do all the… energetic… moves."

"Commander, you will be fine. No one will be watching except me, and I've seen all sorts."

"Forgive me but, how exactly have you seen 'all sorts'? Surely you're not old enough to…"

"Commander I have been dancing since the age of three, teaching since I was twelve. Things are different in the dancing world. I have seen a lot. And don't worry, we'll be ok."

They arrived at the holodeck, Jenni gave the computer her requirements for a room (which was substantially more appealing and appropriate than the one Riker had been using) and they entered together. Jenni put her bag on the floor, took out a pair of shoes and put them on, then took Riker's hand and led him to the middle of the room.

"And now, the fun begins," she whispered.

X

Riker was sick of pretty much everything, it was only the fear of failure that kept him in that damn holodeck, repeating the same thing time after time, again and again until he was more confused than ever. But he had to admit that he was impressed with Jenni. She'd managed to take him from a stumbling, uncoordinated lead to an elegant and impressive dance partner, even though he felt very unsure of himself. She was calm under pressure, professional, she didn't get frustrated easily, if at all, and she was ridiculously patient.

"Ok, once more and then we move on," she said to him after he'd attempted lifting her by the arm and leg and whirling her round. They took it from the top; the beginning was really very impressive now after numerous repetitions. His face was a picture of concentration as he remembered the new section, but she knew he had bigger fish to fry right then. She gave him her leg and he gripped that and her arm, lifting her and spinning.

She slipped, her arm sliding out of his grasp and slamming the floor with a thud, her head following. Riker's momentum was such that he couldn't stop right away, but he didn't think quickly enough to let go of her leg, and he felt something in her break…

"Computer turn music off!" he yelled as he knelt by her. She was screaming in agony, but obviously trying to compose herself so that he didn't panic. "Come on, sickbay," he said, scooping her up off the floor trying to ignore her cries.

They got into sickbay and Dr Crusher came straight over with her tricorder.

"What happened?" she asked immediately.

"She… she slipped, I dropped her," Riker answered, putting her down on a bio-bed as carefully as he could. Dr Crusher put a hypo in her neck and Jenni felt some of the pain soften.

"What's your name?" she asked her.

"Jenni Stokesley," she replied.

"Jenni, I'm Dr Crusher. Where's the pain?"

"My left hamstring, my right shoulder and arm… my head…"

She caught sight of Will looking gutted that he'd caused her such pain.

"But I've certainly had worse," she added quickly, grimacing as the Doctor prodded her shoulder.

"Well you've torn a couple of muscles in your back and arm along with your hamstring, and you have a slight concussion," Dr Crusher declared eventually. Jenni groaned.

"Is this the part where you tell me it would have been better if I'd broken my bones rather than my muscles?"

"It would certainly have been easier to solve."

"How long until I'm back on my feet?"

The Doctor shook her head.

"These injuries need rest. I can repair the muscles but they'll still be tender and stiff for a few days… you'll need to sleep off the concussion…"

"Doctor we only have two days!" Riker said, going deathly pale.

"Well it looks like you're going to have to find someone else to dance with Will, I'm sorry. I can't let her continue in this condition."

"Where am I going to find someone?"

Jenni looked at him.

"Well my sister is still on the USS Melbourne. Doctor, if I rest up for the next few days, get some physio, will I be fit enough to dance on Wednesday?"

"I wouldn't want to bet on it Jenni," she said wearily.

"Besides, how would you know the routines?" Riker asked.

"My sister and I would work in concert. I'd direct her, she'd teach you, and I'd be watching the whole time."

"Watching isn't resting."

"But this is the only way to solve this."

Riker looked at her and nodded.

"I'll go and talk to the Captain," he sighed. What was it Picard had said? _We can't afford any accidents._ The concern shouldn't have been for what Riker did to himself, but for what he did to his partner.

X

Talya Stokesley was amazing, Riker thought. He could tell she was Jenni's sister, but they were very different too. Talya was slightly shorter than Jenni, and she was fuller in the body. Certainly not fat, but she looked like a woman should. He didn't have time to get to know her properly, but she smiled a lot, so he felt more at ease as Jenni directed them from her chair and they attempted to do what she told them to.

"Ok, let me have a go," Jenni said eventually.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Riker asked her, watching her stagger to her feet and wince.

"We haven't a lot of choice, the competition is tomorrow," she replied, moving into the centre of the room painfully slowly. Riker took her hands and Talya ordered the music to start.

Within three movements, Jenni was practically in tears.

"Jenni, with respect, you can't do this," Riker said gently, guiding her back to her chair in the corner of the room.

"But what are we going to do? I've ruined this mission."

"It looks like it's up to me," Talya put in. The other two both stared at her.

"Don't be silly Tally, you can't do the competition!" Jenni exclaimed.

"Of course I can, and I will."

"I don't know," Riker said, clearly unconvinced.

"Look, this is the only way. We can do this, we will be fine! I thought you Starfleet guys liked a challenge?"

"I like a challenge fine, but I don't want to put you in danger."

Talya sighed.

"If it helps, the Captain's already agreed."

Jenni started.

"Pardon?" she almost screamed.

"Well I went to see him Jen, he asked if you'd be fit for tomorrow. I said I didn't think you would be."

Jenni shook her delicate chestnut hair out of her face. Talya had a feeling that if she could have got up and given her a shake she would have done. There was silence for a few moments. In the end, Riker sighed.

"Ok," he said, simply. "It looks like we have no choice. Talya, If you're sure, you'll be helping us out."

Talya nodded, smiling.

"Let's get to it."

X

The day of the competition. Riker had been surgically altered so he didn't quite look like himself anymore – his eyes were a different colour, he'd shaved off his beard, the Doctor had slightly altered the position of his cheek bones which made a startling difference. Jenni had helped Talya to get dressed in her floor-length ball gown and theatrical make-up , but there was nothing else she could do.

Talya met Riker in Sickbay as the Doctor was finishing him off and Jenni sat on a bed, waiting for further treatment to her leg and shoulder. Talya's long, red hair was swept upwards and held in place with hundreds of diamante pins. The cut of the purple dress made her look older, which, as she was only eighteen, could only be an advantage.

"Are you ready?" she asked him. He nodded.

"Good luck, both of you," Jenni said as Dr Crusher indicated at her to lie down. "And take care!"

"We'll be fine Jen," Talya replied, hearing groans from her sister as she was made to manipulate her legs. "We'll be back in a few days."

She and Riker walked out of sickbay and into their waiting shuttle craft.

"Course set, all checks ready… and we're ready to go."


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry this is taking a while, I've just moved to live in another country so things are a little mad! Hope you enjoy it, please read and review. **

Riker and Talya danced like they'd never danced before. Talya, who had seemed almost shy to Riker, was an entirely different person when she was being watched by an audience. Riker was almost overcome with nerves and it wasn't a feeling he was used to. But Talya made him feel remarkably at ease, even in front of the crowds and judges, and they did their routine.

"That was great!" Talya praised him. "Honestly, that couldn't have gone better."

"I didn't do the lock step properly right at the start."

"Well that's ok, I only did a double pirouette rather than a triple, the nerves got the better of me and those lights were enough to send anyone off balance. Believe me, Will, that was excellent. Give yourself some credit."

He nodded, remembering that three days ago he'd never done more than a rudimentary waltz, now here he was pretending to be professional. And Talya, she wasn't even a ballroom dancer! On asking her how long she'd been dancing for she'd given the same answer as Jenni.

"Oh, since I was three," she'd said.

"That explains why you're so at home in these shoes," Riker had replied.

"Oh no Commander, I meant I've done ballet since I was three, I've never actually had ballroom training before."

He'd looked at her dumbfounded and she'd laughed.

"The key is to be able to turn your hand to anything," she'd said. "And I think I just have."

Riker shook his head slightly as he sat next to her, watching the other dancers. He had to admit, some of them were terrible, but equally some were amazing.

"Are you sure…"

"Please, Will… we're ok," Talya said to him. He wasn't sure if they'd done enough to secure a place in the next round or not, but Talya seemed quietly confident. Riker couldn't keep still though, if anything his nerves were worse now than they had been before.

However, he shouldn't have worried, as he and Talya finished in fifth place, which meant they were well clear of the bottom of the table and as such, they'd made it to the next round. They were both relieved and they went back to their shuttle.

"I'd recommend a good long bath," Talya said to him, "you'll ache in the morning."

"I've been aching every morning for three days," he answered. "Besides, the shuttle doesn't have a bath."

"I was wondering about using the sauna and spa facilities over in that hotel complex. It's free for the dancers."

"Sounds great," Riker admitted. They both changed out of their elaborate costumes and into casuals, then they went together and hit the steam room.

"You need to stretch out your muscles," Talya warned him. "Otherwise you'll just be stiff tomorrow."

They both stretched and pulled, then they swam a little and sat in the Jacuzzi for a while.

"Come on, we should get some sleep. It's going to be another long day tomorrow."

X

Riker's muscles screamed as he rolled over in bed. He hadn't felt this sore for a while, that was for sure, and the thought of taking even more lessons from Talya made his heart sink a bit. He really wasn't this kind of dancer, and the whole situation still seemed ridiculous. There should have been another way to achieve the same aim which didn't mean he had to get out of his uniform. He shook his head, was this old age? At one time he'd have turned his hand to anything…

He looked over to where Talya was sleeping on the opposite bunk. He couldn't see her at first, as she'd buried herself under the covers, completely covering even her head so no part of her was showing. She was obviously still asleep, but Riker was working off Enterprise time, so he forced himself out of bed and into the sonic shower. By the time he'd dressed and got back to the make-shift bedroom, Talya had woken up but she was staring at the ceiling, her eyes shining as though she was close to crying. She didn't seem to notice him until he was next to her.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Sure," she replied, as though snapping out of her daydream. She brushed the tears from her eyes and sat up. She forced a smile.

"You look upset," he said to her.

"I'm sorry," she answered. "I'm useless in a morning. I just need a cup of English Breakfast Tea."

Riker went to the replicator and replicated her some tea and a strong coffee for himself.

"Thank you," Talya said, sipping on the tea. Colour started to come back into her cheeks and she seemed happier. Riker had been a little disconcerted by the presence of a crying girl; he didn't expect it from her, she'd not shown anything other than strength in all the time he'd known her and he didn't know why on earth she should be crying now.

She got out of bed and went to use the sonic shower too, and when she came back she was back to her usual self.

"I guess we should get started," she said to him.

"I guess so," he answered.

"I know this isn't your thing Will, but we only have to get through one more stage. We're nearly there."

"You're right. Come on then, let's go."

They headed towards the practise area where they had a room booked. Talya changed her shoes, even though her feet were screaming at her to remain in her flats, and she and Will went through the sketchy outline of a dance that Jenni had put together for them just before they left. They did well, and they perfected this dance much quicker than they had the last one.

They took a break for lunch, although Talya only ate salad and drank copious amounts of tea.

"So why were you upset this morning?" Will asked her as he dug into his sandwich. She forked a tomato.

"Oh… no reason," she replied.

"Of course there was a reason," he countered. "If there's a problem I'd like to know about it."

"With respect, you're not my commanding officer."

"It doesn't mean I can't help you," he replied gently. She sighed.

"I'm fine. Like I said I'm terrible in a morning."

"Did you have a nightmare or something?"

Talya didn't know how to explain it to him.

"No. Sometimes I just wake up and want to cry. I have no good reason to, it's just sometimes. Usually when I'm tired and stressed. Will, I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention this to Jenni when we get back. I don't want to worry her, and it really is just a one-off."

"It's nothing to do with me Tally, you're over eighteen, you told me that in confidence."

"Thank you."

She went back to picking at her salad.

"We gonna kick some ass tomorrow?" she asked him with a smile.

"We sure are."

X

Riker had no idea how, but they'd pulled together the dance and he felt less nervous than the first time. He put it all down to Talya, who was just amazing. Sure her knowledge of a shuttle's basic systems was severely lacking (she thought she'd set the computer's alarm when really she'd nearly managed to overload the console), but where dance was concerned she was fantastic.

Once more they prepared their hair and make-up and costumes, and they danced away. Riker almost dared to say he enjoyed himself, but the more important task of the night was coming close. After the show there would be a reception with the leader of Infa II, and that was where Riker had to ask her what was going on.

It no longer mattered whether they got through to the next round of the competition, but as it happened they did just about scrape through. Both of them thought that was a miracle, given that Talya had tripped over and Riker had then stood on her foot. However, they'd managed to make it look so casual that no one was sure whether they were genuine mistakes or part of their rather tongue-in-cheek dance.

"I'm going to go get ready for the reception," Talya said backstage.

"Sure, meet you there in half an hour," Riker answered.

"Fine."

They parted ways and Talya took another sonic shower, allowing it to scrub the heavy make-up from her face. She got out and put on a beautiful dress. It was a deep green to match her eyes, with a long skirt and a beaded V-neck top. It was decent, not one part of her was showing except her slender arms, but she looked divine. She was just piling her hair into a knot at the back of her head when there was a knock on the door.

"I thought I was meeting you there?" she yelled, assuming it was Riker coming to pick her up. No reply came, just another urgent knock. She went over to the door and opened it.

Suddenly, a hand clamped itself over her mouth. She tried to scream but it was impossible as she was pushed, back into the changing room by a large figure. She struggled against him but she was brought further into his grip, her back against his stomach. She dug her elbow into the flesh behind and she heard him groan, but he gripped her wrist so tightly that she thought it would break. He forced her onto the floor and sat on top of her, forcing something into her mouth and cuffing her hands behind her. She continued to struggle nevertheless and she managed to kick him in the groin as he got off her and she got to her feet in the small time it took him to recover. Her effort was rewarded with a hard kick to her stomach and another one to her face which knocked her straight off her feet again and she landed, hard on the floor. She wished she could make some loud noise, but there wasn't even anything in the room except her clothes.

The man came towards her and kicked her again, making her curl into a ball and completely stealing her breath. He covered her eyes with something so she couldn't see, then she felt him lift her up and sling her over his shoulder. She didn't dare move she was sure he didn't have a very good grip on her. Her head was spinning, now some of the adrenaline had worn off she could feel the pain from where he'd kicked her. She felt cold air hit her and she knew they were outside.

Very soon, she felt herself being put down on some kind of stone floor, but they were still in the open air. She heard strange sounds, machines of some sort. Then she was picked up again and flung inside something. After a few moments, it juddered and rose into the air. She guessed it was a shuttle of some kind, and that filled her with dread. Would Riker be missing her by now? She wasn't sure he would, it had all happened so quickly. And if she was being moved somewhere, it would make it harder for him to find her.

Suddenly, someone was touching her face. Her instincts made her shy away from them, but there wasn't anywhere to go.

"Easy," a man's voice said, "I'm just checking to see if you're hurt."

Great, she thought. Of course she was hurt; whoever had grabbed her had been rough! She thought of the kick she'd managed to give him and it gave her some satisfaction. The man's hands pushed her to lying down and she heard a rip as he tore part of her dress so he could see her stomach, but as she couldn't see it made her panic and dart upright, moaning in protest.

"Shhh! Calm down, I'm looking at you. You're a fighty one all right!"

She was pushed back again and she lay still. She felt fingers on her abdomen and they pressed hard. She groaned in pain until they released and moved onto the next area.

"You'll live," the voice declared. "Now you can cool off here for tonight, we'll talk to you tomorrow when you've calmed down."

There were a million questions that Talya wanted to ask, but as he didn't remove her gag or restraints she couldn't get any answers. She felt something sharp in her arm.

"It's just to make you sleep, you'll wake up tomorrow."

She shook her head desperately.

"Shhh..."

He was stroking her hair, which creeped her out completely and she tried to wriggle out of his grasp. She fought the overwhelming urge to sleep.

"Shhh… stop fighting it, it hurts more if you fight it. Just let yourself go."

Her head was pounding and her whole body ached… then she had to succumb to the darkness with a frustrated cry.


	3. Chapter 3

Riker was at the reception in the entrance way, waiting for Talya. She was late, and she wasn't answering through the com system. Riker wished he could worry about her, but he couldn't as he had three minutes before he would be able to get to the leader of Infa II. He'd seen her go into the hall already.

"Excuse me sir, you're not authorized to be in this area."

Riker turned around and looked at the man who was speaking to him.

"I'm waiting for my partner, we're going to the reception," he explained.

"I'm afraid you can't go in, you're not cleared. Please vacate the area."

"Look," Riker said, getting agitated, "I'm one of the dancers, me and my partner have just got through to the third round…"

The young man continued to argue with Riker, until Riker spotted Analise Kernan leaving the reception hall.

"Miss Kernan!" he yelled after her. She looked at him as two of the security guards came to hold Riker back. "I must speak with you!"

She waved the security men aside.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"My name is William Riker, and I have an urgent message for you. It is imperative that we speak."

Riker just wanted to tell her that he was from Starfleet, but he couldn't do that in front of all these people. But as he said his real name, he saw a flash of recognition cross her face and she held his shoulder, leading him into the hall.

"Of course, Will, you've just beaten the competition…" she said loud enough for everyone else to hear her. As soon as they were inside they found a quiet corner.

"I'm from the Federation. We received your message but then when we tried to investigate further we never got a response. Is there a problem you want help with?"

"The situation on my planet is grave. We're in the middle of an outright revolution, we need some help."

"In that case, with all due respect, what are you doing here?"

"Keeping up appearances. We don't want Soria IV to know, we have to keep making it seem like an underground movement that's given us an itch, not a full-blown rash that is threatening to take over our entire body. But the situation is desperate, we require urgent mediation."

"All right. I have to contact my ship and talk to the captain. How can we reach you? We tried all the conventional ways."

"I will give you this communicator, it will patch you through to the right channel. Thank you for all your help."

They split up from each other so not to attract suspicion, but then Riker's thoughts had to turn back to Talya and where she could possibly be. He didn't want to leave the reception right away, as it would look too strange. Talya would just have to take care of herself, though he imagined she'd just fallen asleep somewhere, she'd been so tired. Little did he know…

X

When Talya woke, she knew something was terribly wrong. She still couldn't see, but everything felt just so wrong that she knew something had happened. She was cold, and slightly wet, and sore… She tried to scream, but she still couldn't as the saliva-soaked gag was still intruding in her mouth.

"Why is she in this state?" someone was asking. She wasn't sure, but she thought it was the same man as last night.

"We put her in the wrong cell."

"We're supposed to be commanding the largest trafficking operation in the sector and you put her in the wrong cell? For crying out loud, we were doing this as a favour! We could have got paid a lot if we got her there untouched!"

Talya struggled again and this time she felt someone come to sit next to her on the floor. She tried to move away out of instinct.

"Easy, I'm going to release you. I know it's more than my job's worth," he continued, presumably to the other person, "but you got us into this mess."

Talya felt her arms come free and she flexed all of her muscles. Her wrists felt pretty sore, but then she had been laid on them all night. The gag fell out of her mouth and was replaced with a bottle of water.

"Drink this," the voice said. She didn't have much option, and her mouth felt as dry as a desert. When she'd finished, a hand helped her sit up further.

"Wh… where am I?" she asked quietly, uncertain whether she should dare to ask.

"That's not important right now," he told her. "We know you're from Starfleet."

"Actually, I'm not," she replied. It wasn't a lie, before this she'd had nothing to do with Starfleet.

"We know you're Jenni Stokesley."

Talya kept very quiet. She could either tell them that she wasn't and possibly put her sister in jeopardy, or she could pretend she was and try to work out what was going on. Why would they want her sister?

"What do you want?" she asked.

"We need information about the Enterprise."

"What could I possibly tell you? Surely you know that I'm not an officer."

"You will know enough, and you will tell us precisely what the Enterprise is doing to intervene in the situation on Infa II."

"Who says they're intervening?"

"Why else would you have been at that competition when you've had no interest in ballroom dancing for the past five years? You can't deny that it was a good opportunity to speak with the leader of Infa II, even if you did have to put up with a pretty poor dance partner."

Talya remained quiet. So they'd sussed them out after all, even if they thought she was her sister and Riker wasn't as well known in the area as he'd thought he was.

"So. What happens now?" she asked.

"That largely depends on you. If you respond to our questions, you'll be taken to our facility and you'll be given a reasonably pleasant life. If you don't, then you'll go to our facility and you may not ever leave."

Talya started to shake.

"If you tell us what we want to know, you'll not be harmed and, when we've finished our operation, you will be released."

"I have a feeling I've already been harmed," she said.

"I'm sorry. You were in the wrong cell."

"Oh, so this is routine? If you're in a certain cell you get violated?"

She didn't dare cry, not that they'd have been able to see her tears and the fabric over her eyes would no doubt have soaked them up, but she couldn't indulge herself like that at the moment.

"It's… complicated. Anyway, Miss Stokesley. Really I should tie you back up, but I'm willing to relax the rules slightly for you for now. When we arrive at our facility you will no longer be under my care, so you will be treated like everyone else. But for now, all I ask is that you do not remove your blindfold. We have cameras in here so we will know if you take it off, and you will be tied back up so fast you won't know what's hit you."

Talya didn't know whether to believe him or not, but she thought she'd better not risk it. At least this way she'd be able to fight if she had to.

"We will arrive in four hours. Please stay quiet until then."

She heard him leave her and a door clanged shut.

Talya felt the places she'd been hit and kicked the day before, and she couldn't feel anything other than a bit of swelling. She guessed she had plenty of bruises, but none of them felt dangerous or too painful, as long as she didn't move too much. Her hands travelled downwards and she felt the wet on her legs. She let out a small sob, wondering what had happened. She almost wished she knew, because at the moment she didn't know what to believe. It could have been nothing. I could mean everything.

It was a distinctly long and boring four hours, but she did fall asleep for part of it. She was still a little groggy, but she was so nervous that she couldn't settle for long. She really hoped Riker was looking for her by now, but deep down she knew that tracing her last movements would be close to impossible.

X

Riker couldn't find Talya anywhere, once he'd decided it was safe to leave the reception. No one had seen her since the end of their show. He looked all over, everywhere he could think of. He couldn't trace her communicator signal either with his tricorder. Eventually it occurred to him to go to the changing rooms, and there he found the dress she'd danced in for the performance. On the floor were a string of hairpins and everything was disordered somehow – he was sure Talya wouldn't have left any of her things here, and certainly not in this state.

He followed the hairpins across the floor, but they revealed very little except a possible path between the door and the middle of the room, but as there was no point of exit except the door, that wasn't surprising. There was no choice, he had to get in touch with the Enterprise and alert the relevant authorities on Soria IV, but he had so little to go on that it was going to take some serious time to get to the bottom of this.

He went back to the shuttle and hailed the Enterprise.

"Captain… we have a problem."

X

Jenni Stokesley was almost back to being fit enough to dance again, but her muscles were stiff and they didn't want to move at the moment. She was forcing the issue slightly though, as she was back on the holodeck, working out. She was scared, she needed a distraction. Not that it was working.

So, her sister had been missing for around two days now, although no one was really sure of the exact time she'd disappeared. There were several people that had seen a man heading towards the changing rooms, but he was later identified as a security guard that worked at the complex. There were no surveillance cameras in the changing rooms, and the ones outside hadn't shown anything untoward. They showed her sister entering the changing room, and that was it. Nothing else.

Jenni jumped and turned harder and faster as she thought. At one point in the recording, a woman had been seen walking down the corridor and into one of the other rooms. There had been something not quite right though with that bit of the footage. Jenni couldn't put her finger on it. She'd have to think some more. But, she was certain that there was something different, something none of them were seeing.

She finished her workout and took a shower. Then she got dressed and went back to the bridge to see how things were going.

"We have found evidence that a craft was launched around the time of the abduction," Data informed her.

"Really? Where did it go?"

"The official records say it went to Infa II, however we are in the process of verifying all this information."

Infa II? Why would it have gone there, with all the current troubles? Having said that, Jenni knew that any problems were being kept very quiet – that was why Riker had had to go in so deep under cover.

"Could I see that video again please Data?" she asked. "The one from the surveillance tapes?"

Data put it on one of the science stations and Jenni sat down to watch it. She shook her head. There was just something that wasn't quite right…

X

Talya had been taken off this craft and led somewhere – goodness only knew where – and she'd been put on a chair.

"I'm afraid that this is where we say goodbye," the man said to her. She heard him leave and another person came in. This other person took the blindfold off her. Blinding light hit Talya in the face and she couldn't see anything other than a shadow, somewhere in the distance.

"Welcome to our little facility," a woman said, walking towards her while Talya's eyes recovered. She was tall, thin and harsh-looking. Talya supposed that was a pre-requisite for the kind of work this woman was doing. "While you are here, you have no rights. You will be held here until you tell us everything we want to know. If you comply, you will be moved to a distinctly nicer area of the facility where you will live in relative comfort until you can be released. If you do not tell us what we want to know, the consequences will be severe. It is not our wish to hurt you Jenni."

Once more, Talya bit her lip and didn't correct her.

"We will begin right away. First you will have a full medical examination, you will be given fresh clothes, and then you will be interrogated. You will speak to no one except me, you will see no one except me. I suggest that you co-operate fully."

Talya didn't know what to do. She was so scared she was trembling, what could these people need to know so desperately? The woman cuffed her hands and led her to a metal table.

"Lie down," she ordered. Talya didn't move. The woman grabbed her by the throat and put her on the table, and a force-field held her there. The pressure on her oesophagus was released and she spluttered, gasping for breath. Her eyes were covered again and she heard several more people surround her. She felt them scan and probe and touch, they took the rest of her ripped dress and underwear. She tried to wriggle away, to cover herself but she couldn't. Some of her blood was taken, every kind of test was run, and eventually she was let off the table and guided out to another room where her hands were manacled above her head and she was winched off the floor. She cried and desperately tried to reach the floor with her feet, but she couldn't.

"All we want to know," the woman said to her as she hung there, "is what kind of intervention Starfleet is planning."

"I don't know," she replied, truthfully. She hadn't got a clue about the details, there hadn't been time for her to even think about asking. But suddenly, there was a hissing noise and then her back felt like it was on fire. Steam hit her again and she cried. As she writhed away from the pain her arms hurt more.

"Are you sure you don't know?"

Talya could have cried already.

"I don't know anything, there wasn't…" She screamed again as more steam hit her.

It happened again and again until she was crying, and then it still carried on. She wanted to give in, but she couldn't as she didn't have what the woman wanted. Every minute felt like it lasted an hour, and her body was in agony.

"I don't understand," the woman said to her. "This can all be over so quickly without any pain. Why do you choose the hard route?"

"Has it occurred to you that I just don't know?" Talya screamed at her.

She felt the steam hit her back again and she cried more. Suddenly, the door opened.

"Wait!" a man's voice yelled. The steam was turned off. Talya tried to look round to see who it was, as she was still stark naked and feeling rather vulnerable. She couldn't see so she gave up.

"What's the problem?" the woman asked.

"That's not Jenni Stokesley. Her bloods are wrong."

The woman approached Talya slowly and looked up into her hot and tear-stained face.

"Well now. It looks like a change of question is in order. So. Just who are you?"

Talya shook her head. Giving her name would mean that she could be used as leverage against her sister, should she be contacted by these people. She started to cry again as the woman walked towards the controls again and Talya braced for the pain of the steam again. But rather than burning pain hitting her, she dropped to the floor as her hands were released.

"I'm going to give you some time to think," the woman said, dragging her by her hair into the next room.


	4. Chapter 4

"I've got it!" Jenni said triumphantly. "Data, look here."

She played the recording yet again and Data leaned over.

"Watch closely, as this woman walks into the opposite room. Now, computer, increase magnification on the woman."

The computer zoomed in and suddenly it was clear that the woman wasn't a woman at all.

"It would appear that the feminine attributes have been super-imposed upon somebody else," he stated. He called the Captain over, and then he gave a few more commands to the computer. It revealed a man.

"Damn, his face is covered," Jenni sighed on seeing a balaclava over his face.

"Mr Data, can the computer extrapolate the man's features from the bone structure?" Picard asked.

"It would be very rudimentary sir," he replied.

"Do it and cross-check it with our database. It's a long shot, but he could be in there."

"This will take some time sir."

"It's better than nothing Data," Jenni said to him encouragingly. "Meanwhile I'll review the information that came in about the situation on Infa II and see if there could be a connection there."

X

Talya had been left alone for hours now, naked on the floor of her cell. She'd curled up and was hugging her knees. Her back was still sore and she was cold. Now she came to think about it, she was hungry too. More time passed, until she thought she'd never see anyone ever again. Her mind was running away with her, but she was scared and she couldn't help thinking that she might never leave this place. And even if she did, in what kind of state? She knew she was already damaged, even though she couldn't really remember what had happened.

She'd just begun to snooze from sheer exhaustion when the woman came in.

"Wakey wakey," she said, shaking her. "You've got some more questions to answer."

"Please… can I have some clothes and water?" she asked.

"You don't deserve clothes. You don't have a name, so you are nothing, and you have nothing."

She did hand her a glass of water which she drained instantly, then she had to get up and follow the woman again. The woman forced her onto the metal table again and the force-field was replaced. Talya felt a drip on her forehead as she watched the woman.

"Now," she said, "if you want to get off this table, you will need to tell me your name. That's all. Just your first name will do."

There were even more drops of water, square on her forehead. She still said nothing.

"I'm going to leave you here to think about it."

The woman covered her eyes again, leaving Talya in the dark.

X

Riker had been told what Jenni had found on the tapes, and he was awaiting more instructions from the Enterprise. He didn't want to make the long trip back if they had reason to believe that Talya was close to hand.

"Enterprise to Riker," Picard's voice said eventually.

"Riker here," he answered.

"We've found one male who matches the bone structure of the man on the tape," he said to him. "And what's more, we've found his current location. We're sending the details to you know and we're going to move into orbit. Picard out."

Short but sweet as always, thought Riker as he read the information he was receiving. He had to admit, the stuff that Data and Jenni had dug up did look very promising, and he set a course to find the male on the tape. Jenni had found more parts of the tape that had been overwritten with footage of nothing happening, which had masked the fact that when the man had gone into the opposite room, he'd then come out and gone to Talya's. That was where the tape ended, but that was enough.

Riker knew he had around twenty minutes before he arrived at the man's address, and he changed into his uniform and had a coffee. Then he prepared himself for the coming battle.

X

Talya was screaming as the drops continued to hit her head, but all she could do was tell herself that she couldn't go crazy as she was innocent, she'd done nothing wrong and she was going to get out of here. She stopped screaming and fell into a traumatised sleep, jerking awake a lot and twitching as the water hit.

"I just don't understand," the woman's voice said to her as the blindfold was removed. "Why don't you just take the easy way. Why won't you tell me your name?"

She ran a hand up and down Talya's bare stomach and Talya groaned, blinking in the bright light. Yet still, she said nothing.

"Well, if that's how you want to play it… how about we get a little closer to the water?"

"No! Please!" Talya cried, trying to struggle against the forcefield.

"It's your choice. You can either come with me now and give me your name and we can move on, or you can have a visit from one of the men outside. There aren't enough women in the slave quarters at the moment to go around, they're getting agitated. We can't have that."

Talya couldn't think while that damn dripping was pounding on her head. She was sure she'd have a bruise there by now. She didn't like the sound of either option. And in the end, she had to choose. Did she want to die now, or did she want to choose to live and die later?

"Please… not that!" she cried.

"You do have an option," the woman reminded her. "All I want is your name."

Talya sobbed, but slowly, she mouthed 'no'.

"Very well then," the woman said, releasing the force-field. Talya almost cried with relief that the drops had stopped. "Stand up."

Talya got to her feet, but she was feeling faint and was unsteady on them. She was trembling and couldn't stop, partly from the cold but mostly from fear. It made the cuffs that were still around her wrists rattle. The woman led her over to the corner of the room, slammed her against the wall by the throat yet again, and put her on the floor. Talya squirmed, but she was so tired and weak that she could hardly fight back. Her hands were tied above her head as she was made to lie down on the floor and the damned blindfold was put back on her.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" the woman asked.

"I don't want this," Talya replied. "I have no choice! Please, if it weren't important, why would I let you do this to me?"

"Perhaps you're just a slut. Perhaps you get your kicks from a bit of rough play."

Talya couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"All you have to do is say your name."

Very slowly, and barely noticeably, Talya shook her head.

"Very well. But you're about to realise that your decision does not just affect you, but other people too."

She heard the woman cross the room, open the door and leave.

Talya tried to get out. She pulled on her restraints, trying to get them to release from the wall, but they stuck fast. She pulled and twisted with all her strength, her bare skin grazing on the stone floor and wall, making her already tender back more painful.

The door opened and she knew it was too late.

"Please…" she whispered. "Please don't hurt me…"

She heard very soft footsteps coming towards her.

"What's your name?" a man's voice asked, quietly.

"I won't tell you," she replied.

"Why?"

Talya was confused.

"Because that's what you're here to extract from me. I can't tell you."

"Listen, I'm not with them. I'm being held captive here too, they've told me… they've told me I have to…"

"You have to sleep with me," she finished for him. Now it made sense, what the woman had said about her decisions affecting someone else. "How long have you been here?"

"I don't know. Maybe two weeks."

Suddenly, he groaned.

"What? What's wrong?" Talya asked.

"They've just shocked me, they want me to get on with it."

Talya took a deep breath.

"Then you better had."

"I don't want to."

Talya sighed.

"Have they offered you your freedom?" she asked. "If you do it."

"Yes. But I don't believe them."

He groaned again, then came further towards her.

"I'm so sorry," he said as he dropped down next to her. "I am so sorry."

"It doesn't matter," she answered.

"They're giving me instructions through an ear piece. I have to do what they tell me."

"I understand. It's ok."

"I don't want to hurt you…"

"They've already done that for you. You do what they say or I'll only die sooner."

Talya took another deep breath, and let the hell begin.

X

Riker had found the man rather easily, as he was snoozing outside in the sun. He only woke up when Rikers hand closed round his throat.

"Four days ago you kidnapped a woman from Soria IV," Riker yelled at him, "I want to know what you've done with her."

The man gasped under Riker's grip.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he spluttered.

"Tell me the truth! You kidnapped my dance partner four days ago from her changing room. Where did you take her?"

On there being no answer, Riker slammed the man on the floor and he hit his head on the floor.

"All right!" the man said. "I don't have her!"

"Where did you take her?"

"I just dropped her on a planet in the next system, it's called Torit."

"More!" Riker ordered.

"I… want a deal!" he croaked, on seeing three Starfleet security personnel entering his garden behind Riker. They must have arrived just in time, Riker thought.

"Like hell!" Riker replied. "Tell me where to find her and we'll talk!"

"She… she's… on Torit, in a city called Arit. You'll have to search underground."

"Where? Do you have an address?"

The man shook his head, genuinely shaken by Riker's rough treatment.

"Yes you do! The address!"

The man muttered it to Riker.

"Thank you. Now you'll be coming with us to face trial."

He turned to the security men, who pulled the man back to his feet and led him away. Riker tapped his com badge.

"Riker to Enterprise, I have an address, request assistance."

"Certainly Commander," Picard replied. "Send us the details and we will rendez-vous with you there."


	5. Chapter 5

"Water," Talya croaked as the woman walked back in. "Water…"

"What a brilliant idea," she replied, releasing Talya's arms from the wall. Talya felt horrendous. She hadn't eaten since she'd got there, she'd barely had enough water to survive, and she needed something to take the bad tastes out of her mouth. She was so tired. She was so sore.

Nevertheless, the woman took the blindfold off her and dragged her to standing, then pushed her into the bathroom. Talya fell against the bathtub, and she realised there was water in it.

"Oh God…" she sighed.

"This is your last chance," the woman said to her, sitting on a chair that was beside the bath. "This will result in your death if you choose not to tell me your name."

Talya started to cry.

"Please!" she begged.

"You know what you have to do. What is your name?"

Talya shook her head. The woman grabbed the back of her neck and plunged her into the water, head-first. Talya struggled and spluttered, drowning in the water. Eventually she was pulled back out. She gasped and spat water out of her mouth. She gulped in air desperately.

"What is your name?" the woman repeated. Again, Talya shook her head and she was forced back under water. So this was to be her death. Drowning. Reflexively she kicked out but the woman's grip on her was too tight. After even longer, she was pulled out.

"What is your name?"

Shake.

Plunge.

Talya was so tired, and being pushed in and out of the water was making her more so. Each time she was dragged out it was more of an effort to start breathing again than the last. She was disgusted with herself for being so weak, but she wanted it to be over now…

"I… won't tell…" she gasped.

"Then I'm sorry," the woman answered. Talya felt the pressure on her neck again and she went under. But this time she didn't come up.

As soon as Talya had stopped kicking and struggling, the door banged open.

"Let her go! Get on the floor!" Riker's powerful voice boomed. The woman dropped Talya on the floor like a hot potato as she had eight phasers trained on her. As soon as she'd got on the floor, security swarmed in and took her away. Riker and one other ran to Talya. She was a mess, completely naked, her wrists cuffed, her body bruised and battered. Riker pressed on her stomach, knowing he had to get her breathing. She coughed, water spilling out of her mouth and she looked like she was choking, a mixture of coughs and gasps coming. Riker pushed her wet hair out of her eyes.

"Talya, you're going to be all right," he said to her. Then he ordered the security guard to find a blanket and something to get the cuffs off her hands. Talya's eyes finally opened and she tried to focus on the person above her.

"Tally."

"Will!" she whispered. Then she realised she was completely naked and covered in… goodness only knew what. She tried to roll onto her side and cover herself, but she didn't have the strength.

"Don't you worry about that Tally, it's ok, lie still a moment. Here."

Riker covered her in a huge blanket, then the security man was back with a small laser. Riker rolled Talya onto her side so he didn't have to uncover her. He got her arms out of the blanket and gently cut through the hard metal. As they dropped away he could see how long she must have been cuffed for, her wrists were all bruised and bloodied, she must have really struggled. She rolled back onto her back and closed her eyes.

"No Tally, stay with me," Riker said to her. "We're going to get you out of here, the Enterprise is in orbit."

She opened her eyes again and nodded at him. She pulled the blanket further round herself, then burst into tears.

"It's ok Tally, we're here. Shh, it's going to be all right. I'll take you up to the Enterprise and we'll get you sorted."

"Please can we go?" she asked. She couldn't bear to be in that place any longer.

Riker nodded and picked her up off the floor. He took her outside and up some stairs. They kept going until they saw daylight again.

"Hey, Lieutenant, make sure everyone from this facility is beamed aboard the Enterprise for medical checks and treatment," Riker ordered.

"Yes sir, we'll take care of it."

"Enterprise, two to beam directly to sickbay."

X

The two of them emerged in sickbay minutes later.

"Talya!" Jenni's voice cried.

"Jenni don't touch her!" Dr Crusher said urgently. "Remember what we said, I need to see her first."

The Doctor came over to Riker and Talya and she pointed them to a bed.

"Doctor, she needs a separate room," Riker said quietly.

"They're all full, my nurses are running that many examinations. As soon as there's one free, it's hers."

Riker put her down on a bio bed and stepped back to let the Doctor in. She scanned her with a tricorder and took in everything it was telling her.

"Talya, does anywhere hurt?" she asked her.

"Pretty much everywhere," she replied quietly.

"Listen, we have to take all the DNA evidence off you, all right? It won't take long, then we'll start to heal your wounds. I need you to try not to pee or cry until we're done, it could disrupt what we can take."

"Please can I have something to drink?"

"You're very dehydrated but you're going to have to wait five minutes while we do this first."

Talya let the doctor and one other nurse pull curtains around her bed and remove the blanket from her. She was as brave as she could be while they probed her for injuries and evidence, but all she really wanted was a drink and a sedative while her sister held her hand. She was also acutely aware of how dirty she was.

"Good girl, we're done. Here." Dr Crusher handed her a glass of water and helped her to sit up and drink it. "Now Talya, I need you to tell me when you last ate."

"I've not eaten since before I was taken," she replied.

"And when did you last sleep?"

Talya shook her head.

"I don't remember," she said, tears of exhaustion streaming down her face. "Please… can I get a sonic shower?"

"We're concentrating on your injuries first, but then we'll get you tidied up. Shall I get your sister in?"

Talya nodded. Dr Crusher opened the curtain and Jenni flew in and hugged her sister. She was such a mess, a mass of injuries, and she looked so tired and pale.

"It's ok, I'm here," Jenni said to her. "Doctor, really, isn't there a side room?"

"I'm sorry Jenni. What we'll do is heal her wounds and then we'll see if there's space."

Talya closed her eyes and allowed machines to hum over her. Hypo sprays eased some of the pain and she was close to sleep when Dr Crusher asked her to roll onto her front so she could heal her back. Talya couldn't stay awake any longer, she drifted off while Jenni stroked her hair and told her not to worry.

"Doctor, what did they do to my sister?" Jenni asked.

"I can't tell you that Jenni, she has to tell you in her own time. We've repaired a lot of the damage, but she's exhausted and very dehydrated. This is going to take some time to recover from."

X

The Enterprise was very busy, examining and processing all the prisoners and criminals that had been transported up from the planet. Worf was busy sorting through the list of charges that were being brought against them and he was discussing matters with the leader of the planet. Federation citizens were under Federation jurisdiction, but Worf was more than happy to let the planet deal with its own people.

Talya spent nearly two days unconscious, being fed and rehydrated by the machines. When she finally did wake up, she pretended she was still asleep.

"Tally?" It was Dr Crusher's voice.

"Mhm?" she replied.

"How are you feeling? Can you open your eyes?"

Talya opened them and looked at her.

"I'm… tired. But I don't hurt."

"Good, let me know if that changes. We have given you a fair amount of pain relief. Now, do you want anything?"

"Another fourteen hours of sleep?"

"I know you're exhausted. You do need to rest and take it easy over the next few days."

"Where's Jenni?" she asked.

"She's sleeping, she refused to leave your side but she was so tired I told her to get some rest herself. Do you want me to call her?"

"No it's ok. I just want to sleep."

"Alright Tally, see you in a few hours."

Talya rolled over onto her side, listening to the voices around her. Suddenly, she screamed.

"What is it?" Dr Crusher asked her urgently.

"I heard him!"

Talya clung to the Doctor's arm.

"There… there was this guy… he was a prisoner too, he was made to… he had to…"

"Tally slow down, it's ok, you're safe now. Take your time."

"There was a man who was forced to perform sex acts on me. They promised him freedom if he did, or death if he didn't. I had something over my eyes so I couldn't see him, but I swear I just heard his voice."

"Damn. I knew I should have moved you Tally but we didn't want to disturb you while you slept, and we could keep a better eye on you here. I'm sorry. Do you feel strong enough to walk and we can put you in one of the side rooms?"

"I… I don't want to be left alone."

"Do you want to stay here?"

Slowly, she nodded. But then she was sure she heard him again. She sat up.

"Ouch!" she cried as her muscles screamed.

"Tally lie down, you're in no state to try and move too quickly."

"He's here."

She looked around the bay now that the curtains were gone.

"That's it Tally, we're moving you, that's the last thing you need."

"Is he hurt?"

"Talya! Tally, listen to me. You're probably suffering from Stockholm's Syndrome. That's where you start to feel an affiliation with your captors…"

"He wasn't a captor Doctor, he was a captive."

"Come on. Alyssa, give me a hand, and call the Counsellor."

Talya was helped off the bed and escorted into another room. Her legs were shaky and she felt incredibly sore and weak.

"Here you go, let's get you tucked back in," the doctor said to her, covering her with the blanket as she lay back.

"The Counsellor is on her way," Alyssa informed them.

"Why?" Talya asked. She'd never met the ship's counsellor and she didn't much feel like talking at the moment.

"You need to talk to someone."

"I don't really feel like it."

"Well then she can just sit with you, you said you didn't want to be alone."

Talya shrugged resignedly. She supposed this was her own fault.

X

Jenni woke up, showered and went straight back to sickbay. On seeing Talya's bed empty, she panicked.

"Doctor, where is my sister?" she asked.

"She's over there Jenni, she's fine. She's talking to the Counsellor."

Jenni could hardly believe her. Her sister, talking about her feelings?

"How's it going?" she asked eventually.

"Well I've not heard anything from them since I took her something to eat. They seemed to be getting along just fine."

Jenni decided to sit and wait in the Doctor's office for them to finish. She was waiting a lot longer than she thought! After around two hours, Deanna emerged from the room.

"Counsellor," Jenni said, getting up. "I'm Talya's sister. How is she?"

"Well she's made a lot of progress today," Deanna answered. "I'm afraid I can't go into details because she told me in confidence. But she will be alright Jenni, it'll just take some time."

"Thank you for all you've done. I just want to take her home."

Deanna could see that Jenni was upset as well, and Deanna knew exactly why.

"Why don't we go and talk too Jenni? Talya's being checked over again and she was pretty tired, we have time."

Numbly, Jenni nodded and followed Deanna to her office.

"Why are you so upset Jenni?" she asked her, sitting down and pointing Jenni into a seat.

"Well… I feel bad for what my little sister has gone through. She's so young, she doesn't deserve to live with this."

"She is young, but she is also incredibly strong. The reason she was hurt so much is because she wouldn't give in."

"I know, and I'm proud of her. But I'd rather her have given them all the information in the universe than be tortured for almost a week."

"They wanted knowledge that she simply didn't possess, she couldn't tell them what they wanted."

"It should have been me there. I was the one who was supposed to be on this operation, if I'd not got the Commander to attempt things people take years to learn…"

"You can't blame yourself Jenni. What has happened has happened, and regrets don't help. Talya doesn't blame you."

"Well she should."

"You can't beat yourself up over things you had no control of. But what I would suggest in a few weeks, when Talya feels ready, that you have counselling together. I'll keep seeing you both individually, but you need to work this through together."

"I don't even know what really happened to her. Will she tell me?"

"I can't answer that. She can't bring herself to say it now, but in the future she might. But why do you want to know?"

"Why wouldn't I? She's my sister!"

"Are you sure you don't just want more ammunition to punish yourself with?"

There was a silence.

"As much as I resent that comment… I don't know if you're right or wrong," she sighed eventually. She kneaded her forehead with her fingers. "Why is this so hard?"

"Because you're both in a very unknown place right now. But what I want to know is, where do you go from here? Are you staying on the Enterprise? Are you going home?"

"Talya and I have been wandering aimlessly for a while now, going from job to job, never staying in one place. It's incredibly disruptive. But I don't think I can stay here, what would I do? I'm not Starfleet."

"Perhaps this is a debate for another day. Dr Crusher has said that your sister won't be well enough to travel for at least another two weeks, so there's time to think about it. Perhaps you'll be able to decide together."

Jenni nodded.

"Jenni… let it out."

"I can't. If I let it out I'll never stop. And Talya needs me to be strong right now."

"She needs a sister who is open and honest about her feelings. The longer you keep up the façade of being strong, the longer she will too."

"I can't let go. I don't know how. I need to go."

Jenni got up and went towards the door.

"Thank you for your time Counsellor," she said quietly before she went out.


	6. Chapter 6

The only way Talya could cope when she was left by herself was to lie on her side and stare at the wall intently, memorising every square centimetre of it.

"How long has she been like that?" Dr Crusher asked the nurse who was on duty.

"Ever since the Counsellor left."

Dr Crusher went into Talya's room. The girl didn't move.

"Tally?" she asked. No reply. "Talya?"

Suddenly, Talya screamed. She groaned and sobbed as though she'd never stop. She rolled onto her back and again onto her side. She looked like she didn't know what to do.

"Talya! It's ok, you're safe!" the Doctor cried, sitting on the edge of her bed and holding one of her flailing arms. She felt the girl's forehead but there was nothing wrong with her except that she was hysterical. The crying carried on for endless minutes, and she couldn't be comforted, she seemed uncomfortable in whatever position she rolled into.

Alyssa came in to see what the noise was, and she saw that the inevitable was happening.

"Shall I get a sedative?" she asked Dr Crusher.

"No. She has to get this out one way or another. Tally, do you want me to call Jenni?"

Talya looked at her in fright, her eyes wide.

"No!" she wailed.

"Ok, ok sweetie."

The Doctor pulled her to sitting and held her close as she sobbed. Then, after a few more minutes, Talya's cries had diminished to snuffles and she'd fallen asleep. Alyssa and the Doctor put her back in her bed and dimmed the lights. They both left the room and were met with Riker and Deanna.

"How is she?" Riker asked quietly. He could tell from the look on both their faces that Talya was not well, and more surprisingly that they were both shaken by what they'd just seen.

"She's just cried herself to sleep. She sounded like she'd never stop," Dr Crusher told them.

"Jenni is on the edge of something too," Deanna informed her.

"Talya wouldn't let me call for her."

"They are both scared of letting the other down in some way, of being weak in front of each other. But it's going to have to happen in order for them to move forward."

"I'm very concerned."

"It's not surprising, given what they've both been through. We have to give Talya especially some time to learn to live with what's happened and for her physical injuries to heal."

"I won't be discharging her until you've made an assessment Deanna."

"I'll talk to her again when she wakes, and I've told Jenni they'll need some counselling together."

"I'll let you know when she comes round again."

A nurse came over to them.

"Excuse me, Doctor?" she said. "One of the patients from the complex is asking to talk to someone about a girl with red hair."

Dr Crusher looked at Riker and Troi, a little confused.

"Have you explained to him we can't discuss anyone's condition?"

"Yes Doctor, but he's insisting he tell someone what happened to him."

"I'll go," Deanna said.

"I'll come too," Will added.

They followed the nurse to a bed where a young man was laid, his chest swathed in bandages and one arm was covered in a strange-looking, green substance.

"I'm Commander Riker," Riker started, "this is Counsellor Troi. You wanted to speak to someone?"

"I'm Greg Jo. I've only been awake for a few hours, I've been thinking about what happened."

"Would you like to discuss it?" Deanna asked.

"Actually, I'm worried about something that happened."

"Worried?" Riker asked him.

"Maybe I should explain… One night I was… I… I'm sorry, it's hard to say…"

"Take your time," Deanna advised.

"One night I was forced to… to have sex with a girl. She was only about eighteen, she was in a pretty bad way. We all had devices put in us which delivered pain if we didn't do as we were told, Doctor Selar has just removed mine. I didn't want to… but in the end the girl said I had to. She… she didn't want me to suffer. She said the longer we took, the more time she'd live. I would rather have died than let them make me into… but… She insisted because that way at least one of us had a chance at freedom. Look, I just want to know whether she's still alive. I shouldn't have done what I did, and I feel so bad, so guilty."

"From the sounds of it, you didn't have a choice," Riker said kindly. "Tell us about this girl. Did you know her name?"

"No, she said she couldn't give it to me, it was part of her interrogation."

"Can you remember anything else?"

Greg sighed a little, thinking.

"It's all pretty vague, I was very groggy. She was thin, she had red hair… if we hadn't been in that hell-hole I'd probably say… she was beautiful."

"What colour eyes did she have?"

"I don't know, she was blindfolded. She was so brave but I knew she was scared, I didn't want to hurt her. Do you know if… if she's still alive?"

Riker shared a look with Deanna.

"Yes she is," he said to him. "I'm afraid we can't tell you anything else right now, but we think the girl you're talking about is still alive."

Greg looked overjoyed.

"Thank goodness," he began. "I was worried her last moments were spent in pain. Pain caused by me."

"Do you think it would help you to see her?" Deanna asked him.

"I don't know. Why would she want to see me? After what I did…"

"That's not what I asked. Would it help you?"

"I… I guess it might. But only if she agrees, only if she thinks it would help her too. I don't want to cause her any more pain. I figured, if she did survive, she'd have had all the evidence taken off her. I guess my DNA will be all over her."

"It's alright, we'll sort it out. In a few days you'll have to make a formal statement and then all the information will get passed on to Starfleet Command," Riker told him. "You won't be implicated if the young lady's story matches up with yours."

"Yet I feel I deserve some kind of punishment… what I did…"

"You couldn't have done anything differently," Deanna reassured him. "Get some rest Greg, we'll talk some more soon."

The two of them moved away from him again and told Dr Crusher what he'd said.

"I think Talya should meet him," Deanna said.

"I think that's very risky," Dr Crusher replied.

"I know. But she should have the opportunity if she wants it. It could help them both."

"Jenni won't like it."

"I know, but it's not up to her to decide what's best for her sister. We'll have to explain the situation to her."

X

Jenni had spent a long time talking to her other sister Aurora via sub-space following her talk with the Counsellor, and it had been decided that as soon as Talya was strong enough, they would both go to Pevon, where Aurora lived, for a holiday. Jenni couldn't help thinking about what the Counsellor had said to her, but she simply had to keep strong, she had to keep going.

"Jenni, I should warn you," Dr Crusher said to her the next time she went into sickbay, "Talya has said she doesn't want to see you."

"Pardon me?" Jenni asked.

"What she means is, she doesn't want you to see her in her current condition."

"What condition? What do you mean?"

"She's upset again, she doesn't want you to see her looking weak."

"But you do know I'm just going to barge right in there."

The Doctor nodded.

"Of course, we couldn't get to you in time to stop you."

Jenni smiled at her, then strode into her sister's room.

"Leave me alone!" Talya's voice said from under the covers.

"Tally, it's me."

Talya didn't move. Jenni went over to her and sat on her bed.

"Sweetie, I… I want to talk to you."

Suddenly, Talya pulled down the covers and stared at Jenni.

"I… I wanted to say… if you ever want to talk to me about what happened, I'd like to listen," Jenni said to her.

"Jen… I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because… because it would hurt too much."

"But you told the Counsellor."

"That's what counsellors are for, isn't it?"

Jenni knew she shouldn't force the issue, but she really couldn't help it.

"What did they want to know?" she asked. "It's obvious you were tortured."

Talya flinched at the word.

"Please… don't Jen."

"I'm sorry… I just… I want to know."

"And I have told you I can't tell you. I don't want you to know, our relationship couldn't survive it."

"Why?"

"Please! Stop!"

Tears fell down Talya's face. Jenni took her hand, but she pulled it away.

"Sweetie, I…"

"Jenni! If I thought it would help, I would tell you. But it won't help, it will just make everything worse!"

"Alright. Alright, I won't ask anymore. I'm sorry."

Jenni hugged her sister, but Talya didn't feel anything as she hugged her back. Where was the love? Where was the guilt at not telling her? She knew in her head she should be feeling these things, but she wasn't. All she wanted was for Jenni to go away, she wanted to be alone.

She stared into space while her sister talked at her, nodding and grunting occasionally to make it seem like she was paying attention. Eventually, Dr Crusher came in. Talya didn't even hear what she was saying, but the end result was that both she and Jenni left her. She didn't move. The wall was mesmerising.


	7. Chapter 7

Talya was holding Riker's arm as they walked towards the Observation Lounge. It had been a difficult few days; she and Jenni had had a serious talk with the Counsellor, and they'd worked through a few things, but Talya had made it clear that she needed her own space and some time to herself.

In her private session, Deanna had asked her whether she wanted to meet with Greg. Talya surprised herself by deciding she would like to, and she was even looking forward to it. She wasn't sure why, but she thought it might be an opportunity to feel something again. The meeting should provoke some kind of emotion. She wanted to hurt. The blankness of her emotions was only letting her feel a profound emptiness, one that she wanted to fill with something. Riker had agreed to take her to meet him, and he'd be just outside if she wanted some time out. Deanna was on standby too, but Talya had requested that both she and Jenni kept their distance. She had to do this by herself.

"Are you sure you want to do this Tally?" Riker asked her. She nodded at him. He was worried about her. She was deathly pale and thin, her days in bed had made her unsteady on her feet and he knew that something just wasn't right.

They came up to the door.

"Ready?" Riker said. Talya nodded. "I'll be waiting out here if you need me," he continued, opening the door for her.

Talya let go of his arm and walked into the lounge.

She saw a man right away stood looking out of the window, then he turned and faced her.

He was nothing like she'd imagined. In her head, he'd been large with dark hair. She didn't know why she thought that way, but now she saw him in front of her, she was amazed by how attractive he was. It took her by surprise; she assumed he'd be ugly, even though she knew he wasn't the monster, he was just made to act like one.

"Hi," he said to her eventually, pushing his blond hair back from his face a little. He was surprised by Talya's appearance too; she clearly wasn't well but she was even prettier now that he could see her clear eyes.

"Hello," she replied awkwardly. Neither of them was sure what they should do. Talya's eyes darted round the room while Greg's stayed looking at her.

"I'm Greg," he said, walking towards her with his hand outstretched. She shook it, surprised that she didn't feel scared of him.

"My name's Talya," she replied. Now that they were closer, she could smell him again. But it wasn't unpleasant. Anything but.

Suddenly, she flung herself onto him. Greg was taken aback, but he hugged her, amazed by how natural it felt for them to be in each other's arms. He was thinking they must both be seriously screwed up in the head, this shouldn't have been happening. There was no way the Counsellor would understand this reaction during their next session. Talya pulled away a little embarrassed, and they sat down at the table. They didn't realise they were still holding hands, but they were. They talked for a long time about what had happened, how they had both come to be there and what had gone on since they were rescued.

"I've been going crazy," Talya confessed to him. He was so easy to talk to, it had all just come out. "And I feel so bad… for not telling my sister what happened."

"I've been preoccupied too," Greg replied. "I can't seem to settle at night, I'm not sure who I am anymore. It's like my identity's been… altered somehow. I don't want to be the person I've turned into."

"You're not the person they turned you into, just in case you were thinking that," Talya said sharply. "You're nothing like they wanted you to be. They tried to make you into a monster. You're not one."

"But every day, I think about… about what I did… to you. And I wish I'd been stronger."

"They'd have killed you, you know that. It wasn't a game, they were serious. I don't blame you at all Greg. In fact, I'm glad it was you, rather than one of them. You bought me some time too, you did what I asked. I'm actually grateful for a lot."

X

The kiss was long, sweet, hot… Two people who were hurting, each finding themselves in the other. The darkness lifted for a moment, giving them respite. This was wrong. This was right.

"Tally? Perhaps we should… wait?" Greg said tentatively.

"I know," she replied. "But I don't really want to. The only time I feel like me is when I'm with you."

It had been four days since they'd had their meeting, and they'd seen each other every day. The Counsellor was worried. Jenni was worried. But quite honestly, neither of them were qualified to comment. They'd not been where Talya and Greg had been. How could they understand what they'd been through, what they'd shared? When they were together they could talk about it, get to know each other's lives before they'd been flung into that hell-hole.

"I love being with you too. I never realised how empty my life was…" Greg whispered.

"I have to go," Talya sighed. "I have to go see the Doctor."

"Are you sick?" Greg asked, concerned.

"I have no idea. I hope she's not going to tell me to stop seeing you or anything. That's one battle I'd rather not fight."

"Do you want me to come?"

"I have a feeling that would only make things worse. But thank you, I appreciate it."

They kissed again, then Talya went out of the guest quarters Greg had been assigned. She went down the corridors, taking her time, still slower than her usual self but she knew she shouldn't push herself too hard. Dr Crusher had made her promise to take things easy before she'd been allowed out of Sickbay. Rounding a corner, she took a deep breath, then went into the bay.

"Hi Tally, how are you feeling?" Dr Crusher asked her right away.

"I'm alright thank you. I'm feeling a little bit stronger."

"Good. I just wanted to check up a few things, ask some questions. Is that alright?"

"Sure."

"Take a seat." The Doctor pointed her to a bio-bed and Talya sat down. "Have you felt unwell at all? Any headaches, dizziness?"

"No. Just a bit of a stiff neck."

The Doctor made notes on her padd.

"And how do you feel emotionally?"

"Ah… I've been better… But I'm slowly getting there."

"Can you describe how you feel?"

"Well… it's difficult. Doctor, are you looking for anything in particular?"

"If I told you, you could change your answers."

Talya sighed.

"I've been feeling down. I've had nightmares."

"What have the nightmares been about?"

"About what happened," she said quietly. "I find it hard to sleep. I like to have a light on so that when I wake in the night I'm not as scared."

"Why didn't you come in? We can block out nightmares Tally."

"Because I thought they might go away."

"And in the daytime, do you find it hard to concentrate?"

"Yes. My mind wanders into nowhere."

"Are these symptoms consistent throughout the day?"

Talya wanted to tell her they were constant except for the blissful minutes a day when she could talk with Greg. But the Doctor would advise her against seeing him, she just knew it.

"Tally? Are they worse at any point?"

"The mornings," she sighed. "And night time. I get a bit better… when I'm with Greg."

She waited for the onslaught, but the Doctor just looked at her with the same expression.

"Have you discussed any of this with anyone else?" she asked her.

"No."

"You do know that we can help you? You don't have to feel like this."

Talya looked at the floor.

"Can I take a look at your neck?"

She nodded and felt the Doctor's cool hands massaging the muscles.

"There's a lot of tension here. I'd like you to see a masseuse and come back here if you need anything at all. Or use the com."

"I will," Talya whispered. She was surprised there was no lecture, but she got down off the bed and walked out of sickbay before one could start. Being completely honest with the Doctor just wasn't going to happen today. Perhaps it would happen tomorrow, or the day after...

Talya went home, praying Jenni wouldn't be there. She felt so bad for wanting to be alone, but she couldn't help the way she was feeling, and it would be simpler than having to talk to her sister. She was lucky – no one was home. She got into her night clothes, even though it was the middle of the day, and went to sleep. Somehow, she was just so damn tired and she didn't care what anybody thought about her being in bed.

X

"Tally! Tally it's ok!"

Jenni was fighting with her sister's flailing arms, trying to hold her down. Talya was still asleep, but pushing and hitting for all she was worth.

"No!" she groaned. "No, I won't... I'm not Jenni..."

Jenni's blood ran cold. What had her sister just said?

"No! Please! Please don't... don't hurt... my sister!"

"Tally!" Jenni cried, "I'm here! I'm ok, you're home, you're safe!"

Talya didn't wake up, but she grew tired and stopped lashing out, relaxing quietly back into sleep. Jenni let go of her arms, but she felt shaken. Just what had her sister meant? She stroked her hair gently, puzzling it over in her mind. Surely Talya's captors hadn't wanted her instead?

She wasn't sure, but what she did know was that she had to find out what had been going on, and there was only one person, aside from Talya, who might tell her.


	8. Chapter 8

"If you're here because I keep seeing Talya..."

"Your relationship with my sister is entirely your business," Jenni said to Greg as she stood at his door. "I need to ask you something. Do you mind if I come in?"

Greg stepped back and let her through.

"My sister had a nightmare," Jenni told him, sitting when he pointed her onto the sofa. "She said something about me, and how she didn't want them to hurt me. I was just wanting to know... What did they want from her?"

Greg let his breath out noisily.

"I really don't want to tell you what she's told me in confidence," he said finally. "I love Tally, I couldn't do that to her."

"It's hardly a betrayal Greg, I'm her sister."

"Can't you just ask her?"

"She won't tell me, she doesn't tell me anything."

Greg already knew this, but now he was faced with an impossible position.

"Listen, I don't know what to do," he said.

"Well neither do I. But if you'd heard her, you'd want her to get help. I can't help her until I know what's going on."

Again, he sighed.

"I don't know much. All I know is she couldn't tell me her name when I was made to hurt her, because that was what they were extracting from her. She told me later that they'd thought she was you, they called her Jenni until they realised her bloods didn't match with yours. So then they wanted to know why she'd cover for you, they wanted her name."

"Wait, she didn't tell them she wasn't me?"

"She thought they might come after you, that it might make you vulnerable. There was also the possibility that they'd just kill her straight away if they found out, she had to make the prospect of them torturing her appealing to them. She knew that she had to make them want to know something from her."

Jenni gasped.

"Oh... I had no idea."

She wanted to cry, but she composed herself quickly.

"Greg... thank you. I know we've all had reservations about your relationship with Talya, but I want you to know that it's nothing personal. I do like you a lot, it's just the circumstances are far from ideal."

"I know that, and we have talked about it. But it's helping us, it helps us forget. And it helps us to remember."

Jenni nodded. She knew she could never understand, but she had to try and come to terms with it. She got up.

"Thank you," she said to him.

"Talya will be ok," he replied, "she just needs time."

"I know. We'll bring her back to us. Together."

Understanding passed between them, and Greg pulled on a jumper.

"Let's go talk to her. Together," he decided, surprising himself.

"You're sure?"

He followed her out by way of response.

"Together," he said, firmly.

X

It took many, many hours of talking and tears for everything to be explained. Talya had sat straight opposite Jenni and Greg, disgusted by their double-pronged attack. But by the end of it, she was sat between them, drawing strength from either side and being grateful that they had shared.

"Now, we're worried about you," Jenni said to her. "You're not yourself."

"I feel so very down," Talya replied quietly.

"Have you told Dr Crusher?"

"Not exactly."

"Let's go see her now."

"I really don't want to."

The chime rang. Everyone looked towards the door, confused. Jenni went and opened it. As she stepped back, Dr Crusher came in.

"I'm sorry, I thought I'd just come to check on you Talya," she said. "I can come back later..."

"No, Doctor, actually your timing is perfect," Jenni replied. "We were going to come and see you."

Talya got up and went into her room, the Doctor following.

"Take a lie down Talya and I'll just run a quick scan," she said to her. Talya did so and stared at the ceiling. "Have you got an appointment with the masseuse?"

"Tomorrow," she replied quietly.

"Good. Hopefully some of that tension will go. Have you had any unusual symptoms?"

"I... I feel... I feel very down," she said.

"I wanted to talk to you about something actually Tally," Dr Crusher said. "I think that you might be depressed."

"So what does that mean?"

"It means that you've got a medical condition which makes you feel this way. It's nothing to be ashamed of. And people do make a full recovery, with a mixture of therapy and medication sometimes."

"I'm already talking to the Counsellor."

"That's not what I heard."

Talya sighed.

"I'm not in the mood," she said.

"I know. I want to talk to the Counsellor to discuss the best method of treatment for you, but if you want to get better you'll have to attend regular sessions with her."

Talya didn't say anything. She didn't know what to reply. Dr Crusher drew her into a hug.

"You will get through this," she said to her. "You're a strong young girl, you can beat this."

At that moment Talya didn't believe her. How could this possibly go away?

"But I told the Counsellor everything. It didn't help."

"She can help you with different things. She can help you find ways to cope..."

Talya got up and went back to Jenni and Greg. A bolt of understanding seared between she and Greg, and he knew she wasn't happy.

"I'll be back tomorrow," Dr Crusher said to them all. "Call if you need anything."

Greg knew that all Talya needed was him.

X

She was drowning. She felt the scorching pain as water filled her lungs and she couldn't breathe...

"TALLY!"

She shot upright in bed, gasping as though she really had been drowning. She threw her covers off her as though they were the water. She clutched at her chest. Jenni was next to her.

"Breathe! Tally, you're ok, just breathe!" she ordered. Talya couldn't. Her vision was blurring, she couldn't speak...

The next thing she knew, she was back in sickbay. As her vision cleared she saw Dr Crusher, Commander Riker and her sister stood round her. Her depression hit her all at once as she remembered.

"What happened?" she whispered, a little scared.

"You had a panic attack," Dr Crusher explained to her. "You were very sick."

"The Commander helped me get you here," Jenni said, seeing Talya wonder why he was there.

Talya started to sit up but was pushed firmly back down.

"Not yet Tally, give yourself a few minutes," Dr Crusher told her, propping her legs on pillows to raise them up.

Talya felt awful. Firstly, she was embarrassed, and the stares were penetrating her very soul. Secondly, her head was hurting and she felt like she'd run a marathon.

Suddenly, Greg came in. He went straight over to her. She put her arms around his neck, not wanting to let go as he hugged her back. She closed her eyes, and for a moment she could forget everyone else who was around her.

"Please... take me away from this," she whispered to him.

"Tally..."

"Please! I want to go away!"

He eased her away from him slightly, and held her hand as she lay back again. Tears were forming.

"You need help Tally," he said quietly.

"I don't want to stay here," she replied. "I can't stay here."

He wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb.

"We're trying to help you," he said to her. "Do you think going away would help?"

"Yes!"

"Then... let me see what we can do."


	9. Chapter 9

The planet was warm and sunny as the away team beamed down. Dr Crusher was waiting for them with another person, also in a medical uniform.

"Talya, this is Dr Martins, she will be looking after you," she explained to her. Talya held Greg's hand in hers and was glad he was there, along with her sister. The decision to leave the Enterprise and go to a medical facility had been easy as it was the right thing to do. But she was a little apprehensive nonetheless.

"Hello Talya," Dr Martins said. "Shall I show you round?"

Talya nodded and they were all shown round the small facility. There was everything she could possibly need, including an extensive gym and recreational areas. Her room was small but bright and pleasant.

"We don't allow visitors to stay overnight without prior notice, but we welcome them during the day as long as they don't have an adverse effect on your recovery," Dr Martins said, looking towards Greg. "You won't be totally isolated here," she added, kindly. "I'll leave you to say your goodbyes, the sooner you get settled in, the better."

She left the room, and after sharing a brief hug with Talya, Dr Crusher did the same.

"I'll come see you as soon as you want me," Jenni said to her sister, looking her in the eye. "We're staying with Aurora, but we're not far away if you want us. Just send for us, OK?"

Talya nodded and hugged her sister.

"Bye Jen," she said.

Jenni left her too, and Greg turned to Talya.

"Please get better," he begged her, folding her into his arms and holding her tight.

"I'll try," she replied.

"Like your sister said, just call and we'll come running. Aurora's letting me stay with them, so I won't be far from you. Be strong."

Talya pulled away from him and nodded, trying not to cry. He smiled at her, let his fingers run through her hair, and then he left. Talya sat on the bed, clenching her fists to stop the tears.

Dr Martins came back in with another nurse.

"Alright, we just need to run some scans, then we'll leave you alone. Therapy can begin whenever you want it to, it's up to you. When you're ready, just go into the arboretum and someone will be there."

Talya lay down and let them probe and scan her – she was used to it by now. Then they left her and she turned to the bag of things she'd brought with her. She put them away into the drawers, unsure what else to do. Could she really go and start therapy now? Should she wait? All she actually wanted to know was what her therapy would entail so she could psyche herself up for it. She wished Greg was still with her.

This would never do, she shook her head. She could see him soon enough, he'd be with her in no time if she sent for him. But she didn't want to send for him just as he'd left, she'd have to try to get through tonight by herself. She was quite hungry, and wondered when dinner would be.

In the end, she got up and went out of her room. She looked down the corridor and was wondering just which direction the mess hall was when Dr Martins came back.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Talya whispered back.

"Good, I realised I'd forgotten to tell you that dinner is served between 1800 and 2000 hours. Shall I take you to the mess hall?"

Talya nodded and followed her down the corridor.

"How do you like your room?" Dr Martins asked.

"It's... fine." What else could she say? It was hardly that inspiring as a place, but it was far from being terrible.

"I know they're a bit bare, but we don't want you to like it here so much that you want to stay forever! Here we are."

They turned left and into a spacious room with chairs and tables.

"You can get anything you like from the replicators over there and sit where you like. What do you fancy?"

Talya wasn't sure, but she decided on some soup and a fruit salad. She didn't want anything too heavy, she wasn't used to eating after all the time she'd spent in sickbay and her quarters not really looking after herself. She was surprised when Dr Martins replicated some food herself and sat opposite her.

"Something wrong?" she asked her.

"No," Talya replied, "I'd just not expected doctors to eat with their patients."

"Ah, well we don't have to, but I thought it might be nice to get to know you a little better. Don't worry, this isn't therapy," she added quickly, "this is just me asking you a few questions. Therapy starts when you want, not when I want."

"Why is that?"

"If you're not ready, therapy won't work anyway."

"I wanted to ask," Talya said, taking a bite of her bread and swallowing, "what does therapy involve?"

"Well, that depends on you. We can do talking therapy, which is probably what you're most familiar with, where we sit down and chat about how you feel, why you feel that way, and how we can change that. But here we prefer to use a mix of different techniques. Anything you want to do, we won't stop you unless it compromises your safety. So if you want to express your feelings by painting a picture, we encourage that." She looked at Talya kindly. "What do you like to do Talya?"

Talya was a little taken aback by this liberal attitude. Despite Dr Crusher's assurances that this facility was one of the best she'd ever been to, Talya had still expected some degree of sedation and anti-depressants. Luckily so far, she'd been offered neither.

"I like to dance," she said finally. "But I've not danced since... "

She gulped.

"I've always wanted to get better at the piano," she continued, her voice slightly strained. "I've just not had time."

"Are you good at the piano?"

"Well I can play... I don't think I'm that good."

Talya finished her soup.

"I'm tired," she said quietly.

"You're welcome to go to bed any time you like," Dr Martins replied. "Remember, whenever you want to start therapy, someone will be in the arboretum waiting."

Talya nodded and got up, then walked back to her room. Perhaps this was going to be OK. Perhaps she'd leave here whole again.

X

Jenni Stokesley watched her sister proudly as she played the piano concerto she'd been working on for the past few weeks since getting to the facility. Her sister had grown so much in that time, and she was certainly happier. It was a slow process, but recovery was alive and happening, Talya finding solitude in her music. She would never be an amazing pianist, but she was good enough for it to be therapeutic and she could express herself in a healthy way.

"Your sister has been receiving correspondence from Commander Riker," Dr Martins told Jenni as they watched. "It cheers her up enormously."

"He said he'd keep in touch with her, I must remember to thank him."

"He saved her, didn't he?"

"No. He rescued her, certainly, he found her. But I think it was Greg who's actually saving her now."

"You should know that their relationship, no matter how strange or unhealthy it may seem, is working for them both at the moment. I see no reason to be more apprehensive than if this were a normal situation."

"That's comforting, thank you. And thank you for all the work you've done with her."

"It's a pleasure. She started therapy in the middle of her first night here, she's been really eager to recover. In a few more weeks she should be ready to face the world again."

Jenni looked back at her sister, relieved that she was coming through the darkness. She could see Talya, walking hand-in-hand with Greg in the future. Perhaps they would settle down somewhere, perhaps eventually they would go their separate ways. But the important thing was that they had found their feet together.


End file.
